By Charles Matovu | Project Leader
Uplifting Uganda out of School Youths trough Income Generating Activities
Proud of the day he appeared in the Daily Monitor of 2nd April 2017 in a story “Making mixed farming work in a small space”, the 26 year old MM of Butale Kabonera Sub-County, Masaka District, is happy that he finally owns his dream house out of his mixed farming activities.
A Primary School drop out and father of 3 daughters got passion for farming after admiring Kitovu Mobile Farm Youths, joining their Group (as publicity secretary) for saving and borrowing money for personal development.
His hard work was inspired after meeting a few milestones; based on ideas shared by fellow Youths in organic farming and monitoring visits by Kitovu Mobile. It was upon his zeal for agriculture and hard work that MM was identified, incorporated into the MYFG and later given a hand by the organisation.
Apart from the Friesian cow that is yet to provide milk, MM rears poultry, owns 12 bee hives, 700 trees of coffee, banana and maize plantations, and vegetable gardens among others, all on 1.5 Acres of land.
MM recognizes the change in social status, being considered a responsible citizen in the community, with a better public image and self esteem as he is usually invited to attend trainings with important people.
All the above made possible by the intervention of Kitovu Mobile towards social development. This exposed MM to trainings in crop and animal rearing, sanitation and hygiene, entrepreneurship skills, leading to better resource management especially money that he says enabled him construct his own four bed-roomed house. MM also says he is exemplary among fellow youths and also assists them with knowledge and necessities like manure.
MM says he has gone an extra mile in the struggle to better his life by conducting personal visits to other people that are doing better through initiatives that he to can afford “I don’t visit big factories” he says, for he is not yet at the level of establishing one.
MM current income is a contribution of the 12 bee hives from which he collects 72 liters of honey each year, each liter selling at 30,000 UG Shs, making an annual income of 2,160,000 UG Shs from honey alone. And from the 700 coffee trees he estimates an annual earning of at least 1,200,000 UG Shs, this he hopes will increase as seasons go on.
MM also expects to increase his income from the Friesian cow which he expects to provide 10 liters a day to generate an income of 10,000 each day. This will further improve the standards of living of his family by providing milk on a daily basis.
If all goes well, MM hopes to get better transportation facilities, increase on the quantity of land he owns (from 1.5acres), take his 3 children to better schools, increase his income so as to cater for the increasing family demands and install water harvesting facilities to deal with the uncertain climatic changes.
His wife P commends Kitovu Mobiles’ intervention through the trainings as their coffee trees are able to get manure from their cow, hope to get their own source of milk, more respect to her as the wife and improved family relationship as they struggle to work together for better standards of living.
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